It's Hot
by Elenhin
Summary: This follows closely on ‘It’s Cold,’ and ‘I’m hungry.’ It is written to tell Luke and Bo’s lives together with one even from every year, all tied together with one phrase.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages. There is also an Easter egg in there, if you can spot the movie line from the newest Dukes of Hazzard show, but I ain't telling which part it is in...

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**I'm Hot, Part One**_

Luke looked up from where he sat on the floor, frowning, it was true that he didn't know much about babies, but he knew they weren't supposed to scream as much as the one Martha was holding was. Bo had been screaming for a long time now, really long. It was a bother, but there was really nowhere in the house where he could get away from it, and he wasn't supposed to go outside either. So he had to stay inside and put up with the screaming.

He frowned again, glancing over at the baby. His aunt was trying to sooth it, but it did little good. Luke put down the toy car for a moment, looking closer at the baby. It had been with them for about five months or so now, so it was just about a year old. Still so tiny it was really no good though. It couldn't even play with cars, if it got its hands on one of Luke's toy cars, it only tried to eat them.

That was why Luke didn't allow him to get his hands on them, he did not need to get drool all over his nice cars. It was yucky.

There was one more thing he couldn't understand about it, how could people always be saying how cute it was? It had been screaming so long now that the face was all wrinkled up and red, and that was not cute. A kitten was cute, and they weren't half as much a bother, and still his aunt and uncle insisted on keeping the baby rather than getting a kitten or a puppy.

No, it sure wasn't cute now, not the slightest. He stood and walked over to his aunt. "Why is he screaming all the time, Aunt Martha?" He asked. "He's making my ears hurt."

"He's screaming because it's so hot Luke." Martha said softly as she once more tried to sooth the baby. It was a very hot day, and little Bo was the one who suffered the most from it.

"I'm hot to, and I don't scream like that." Luke snorted and Martha chuckled.

"He's just a baby Luke, it's the only way he can express himself. The poor little tyke really is to hot though."

"Is that why he's wearing a dress?" Luke asked with a frown as he fingered the garment that the baby wore. It was white with pale blue stripes on it, and it seemed to be the only thing he wore, and a boy with a dress was just wrong.

Once more Martha smiled, she had sewn it for the baby just because the last few days had been so hot. The more loosely fitting garment would leave him a little cooler. "It's a shirt Luke." She told him with a smile. "It only looks like a dress because it is big and loose fitting. Or he would have been even warmer."

"It looks like a dress." Luke insisted. "Are ya sure it ain't?"

"Perfectly." Martha smiled. "Don't worry Luke, I wouldn't make your baby cousin wear a dress." It might resemble one rather closely, but it was in truth a workman's shirt he was wearing. It was the length of it that made Luke call it a dress.

Luke shook his head and went back to playing with his cars, the baby really was a bother at times, after all you didn't see him make such a fuss just because it was a little hot.

* * *

"Luke, Is hot Luke." The whiney voice of a baby that sounded quite cranky woke Luke up. He looked over to the baby bed with the high sides that his cousin occupied. The sides were high, supposedly to keep him out of trouble. Maybe it kept him from climbing out, but it didn't keep him from making a nuisance of himself Luke figured.

Sometimes he wished that he still slept in their aunt and uncle's room, like he had when he was even smaller and slept in the crib. When they moved him to the bed however, they had also moved him to Luke's room.

"Is warm Luke, hot." The child whined again in that high pitched voice of his. One small hand holding on to the slime wooden bars of the bed. At least Luke thought it was bars, kind of like a cage, kinda fitting as well. Bo could be a little monster at times.

If Luke knew one thing about kids it was that one tiny child, could make a whole lot of trouble, more than anything else no matter how much bigger it was.

Like when Bo tried to peek into a bucket that stood on the floor, and over turned it, with the result of milk spilling out over the entire kitchen floor. The worst was that their aunt didn't even punish him for it, she said it was her own fault for letting Bo get at it.

Now Bo grabbed the bars with both his small hands and shook them. "Luke!"

By how high his voice had rose already Luke could tell it was only a matter of time before he started screaming at the top of his lungs. Like he always did if he thought they were ignoring him, which Luke wished he could do at times.

"What is it?" He demanded as he threw back the covers and got out of bed. He walked over to Bo's bed and leaned over the side.

"Is hot." Bo whined, giving the bars another shake before pounding a small fist against them. "Is thirsty."

"Why can't ya let me sleep through the night." Luke groaned, though he had to admit that with the sides of the bed, Bo couldn't very well get up and get water for himself. Nor could he even reach the tap in the kitchen. "If I get ya water, will ya go back to sleep then?" He asked. Bo nodded, and Luke sighed as he headed to the kitchen.

He climbed up and filled a mug with some cold water for his younger cousin. When he got back, Bo was standing up in the bed, holding on to the top of it. He greedily reached for the water and gulped it down. Clutching the mug with both of his small hands while Luke stood watching him.

"Still hot." He pouted as Luke took the mug away from him and put it on the small table that was between their beds.

Luke frowned, it was a warm night, maybe the pajamas that Bo wore was a bit to much, even if their aunt always dressed him in it before putting him to bed.

"Okay, we'll take ya pajama jacket off, and then ya had better let me sleep." He decided, unbuttoning the two buttons on the front of it, and carefully pulling his arms out of the sleeves. He had helped them do that enough times to know you couldn't bend Bo's arms around as much as you might want to, and then slipped the pajama jacket over his head.

"Sleep now Bo." He insisted as he hung the garment on the side of the bed.

"Hug first." Bo insisted, holding up his arms.

Luke reached over the side to hug him, wincing as the wet sloppy baby kiss Bo aimed at his cheek missed and smacked in his ear instead. Then Bo lied down again and Luke searched out his bear from the beneath the blanket he had kicked off, and placed it in his cousins arms again, stifling a yawn. Bo hugged the bear close and was soon sleeping even while Luke was making his way back to his bed.

* * *

"Luke, I'm hot." Three year old Bo tugged at Luke's hand. "Really hot."

Luke turned around to look at him, he was sweating, and did look rather hot. No doubt he had been running around like crazy, like he always did. It was never any surprise to see him running around at top speed, back and forth out in the yard. There never seemed to be a purpose to it either, except when he was chasing the chickens, which he wasn't allowed to do. Or when he was trying to catch up with the goat, who had enough of being patted for the time being.

Luke could understand that, who wanted a three year old hanging on to your fur for an hour at a stretch.

"If ya so hot, why do ya got ya jacket on?" He asked. Aunt Martha had put it on him before they went out, and while Bo wasn't supposed to just take it off and leave it on the ground like he usually did, he wasn't supposed to give himself heat stroke by wearing it either.

"Cause Aunt Martha said I wouldn't get no pie if I did." Bo pouted. "An' she's making that pie with the apples, an' she told me she was, an' it's really, really good. An' I really want some, but she said I wouldn't if I took it off, but its hot." He finished his whining.

"Bo, she didn't say that." Luke shook his head. "She said ya wouldn't get any if ya went and chased them chickens around. An' she said ya could take off ya jacket if ya got to warm as well."

"I thought it was if I took it off, an' I really like it." Bo gave Luke a very confused look, then he glanced over to the chickens, a really thoughtful expression on his face, Luke guessed he had been chasing them after all. "Ya sure?" He turned back to face Luke, his face all wrinkled up in a frown.

"Yeah."

"Oh." Bo looked towards the chickens again, then he shook his head so that his blond locks danced around his head. "Not good."

"Come here Bo." Luke sighed, he started to slip Bo's jacket off him, and left it on the wooden chair near the door where they would be able to find it easily. "And ya ain't never supposed to chase them chickens, ya should know that by now." He suspected Bo would still get pie, because he had tried to obey, and because they all knew he could never resist chasing the chickens.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	2. part two

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages. There is also an Easter egg in there, if you can spot the movie line from the newest Dukes of Hazzard show, but I ain't telling which part it is in...

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

**_It's Hot, Part Two_**

"Luke, it's hot." Four year old Bo complained to his cousin.

"What do ya except me to do about it?" Luke asked him, a bit annoyed, it was really warm, and it made his temper a bit short with his cousin.

"I dunno." Bo answered. "Something."

"Well I can't." Luke snapped at him. "Why would ya think I could anyway?"

He glared at Bo who was now scuffing the toe of his small boot in the dirt as he looked up with an embarrassed smile. "Well, ya always is so good at everything." He mumbled.

Praise wasn't what Luke had expected just after having snapped at the boy. Bo looked up to him, they had told him that often enough, and when Bo said things like that, Luke could tell as well.

In a way it was flattering to know that Bo thought he could even do something about the heat.

"I've got an idea." He said. "Let's go ask Uncle Jesse if he can't take us to go swimming."

"Yeah." Bo's whole face lit up with a big smile. "Please can we do that?"

"Well, we can go ask him." Luke decided. Bo took of eagerly and Luke hurried along after him.

* * *

"Luke, it's hot. I can't sleep" Bo's voice cut through the night.

"I can't sleep either." Luke groaned, his voice still a bit sleepy since he had just woken up.

"Yeah, cause it's too hot."

"No, because ya woke me up." Luke glared at his younger cousin, who's face was just a few inches from his own. Five year old Bo had gone from his own bed and claimed up on Luke's.

"Had to," Bo defended himself. "Couldn't sleep cause it was to hot."

"And ya had to wake me up because of it as well?" Luke muttered.

"I can't open the window on me own." Bo tilted his head to the side. "I tried to."

"Go back to sleep." Luke urged, thinking that maybe Bo would be easily convinced for once.

"Please help me." Bo urged, pulling up his feet to sit fully on Luke's bed.

"Why can't ya just ignore it and go back to sleep?" Luke shook his head.

"Cause it's to hot in here." Bo insisted. "Please help me Luke."

"All right, if it'll shut ya up." Luke got up and heaved the window open. "An' don't ya wake me up anymore tonight, got it?"

"Okay, thank you Luke." Bo gave him a quick hug, and then ran over to his own bed.

Luke shook his head, but the breeze coming in through the window was nice, he had to admit that.

* * *

"Luke, I'm hot, can't we go skinny dipping?" Bo asked, the six year old boy looking to his older cousin for an answer.

"No, we have to finish up the chores." Luke shook his head. They both had been put to help out, and Luke had been asked to make sure that Bo really did his share. Not because Bo would try and get away from it, but because he was so young he easily got distracted from the responsibility.

"But it's so hot." The boy insisted, wiping sweat from his face.

"Take off ya shirt then." Luke told him, he himself had done that long ago.

"I'm not allowed to." Bo said sulkily, and Luke recalled how he had done it he day before, and now had a stinging sun burn. They had told him to keep his shirt on so his back didn't get any worse. Knowing how much sun burn stung Luke could sympathize with him.

"I'll tell ya what, go and get us both some cold water to drink." He told Bo, "and then when ya get back, we'll hurry up and finish this, and then we'll ask if we can go skinny dipping. But we have to finish first."

"Okay." Bo ran off to get the water for them, once he had the possibility of a nice could swim to look forward to, it wasn't as hard to work in the heat.

* * *

"Luke, I'm hot." Bo told his cousin as he tried to fan himself with his hand.

"Uhu." Luke wasn't really paying any attention to his seven year old cousin at the moment.

"Really hot." Bo went on.

"Yeah." Luke grunted an reply that he supposed would work. He was thinking, and not really bothering about what Bo was doing.

"Ain't ya hot as well?" Bo asked curiously, wondering if Luke was ignoring him or not.

"Uhu." Luke murmured in something that sounded like an acknowledgement.

Bo was getting his suspicions that Luke wasn't really listening to him. "Are ya ignoring me?" He asked.

"Yeah," Luke grunted, still more intent on his own thoughts than on his cousin.

That did it for Bo, being ignored was bad enough, but having Luke outright say he was ignoring him, that really wasn't fair.

"Don't ya want me around anymore?" Bo demanded, pouting.

"Guess not." Still not really listening Luke murmured an answer, aware that it had been a question that sounded negative.

"Fine, then I won't bother ya anymore. I'll just go off an disappear." Bo claimed as he got to his feet angrily.

"Uhu."

"An' I'll tell Uncle Jesse that ya was mean to me, cause ya know, ya are mean right now."

Two things got through to Luke, the fact that Bo now sounded furious, and had mentioned the name of their uncle. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the same time as Bo stalked away.

"Bo, wait, what's going on?" He asked.

Bo spun around and glared at him. "First ya go an' ignore me, an' even tell me ya do, and then ya say ya don't want me around no more, an' then ya ask me what's going on. I'll tell ya what's going on, I ain't staying round ya another minute when ya don't even want me."

Luke sighed as he watched Bo stalk off, he had a feeling that their uncle would be quite unhappy with him when Bo had told him about what had happened, whatever that was, and seeing as how he didn't even know that, he thought that maybe he did deserve it, kind off, but not really, just a little.

TBC

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


	3. part three

Author's Note: This is Bo and Luke's life together, from the first year Bo was with them, until when Luke leaves for the Marines, and one year after he gets back. It is all different events, but they all begin with more or less the same phrase. I thought it might be fun to tell their lives together by something that keeps happening. This follows on the same line as 'It's Cold,' and some of the events are even similar with the ages. There is also an Easter egg in there, if you can spot the line from the Dukes of Hazzard show, but I ain't telling which part it is in...

Big thanks to Earendil Eldar for beta work.

**Warning**: _The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen. _

Disclaimer: The Duke Boys are not mine, I don't own the Duke boys, nor the General Lee. I promise that once I'm through with them, there will be nothing broken that a trip to Cooter's garage can't fix….

* * *

_**It's Hot, Part Three**_

"Luke, I'm really hot ya know." Eight year old Bo complained, not whined, but complained. The difference was mainly the state of fact voice he used, the one that made it sound as if he had just observed something that no one else had observed.

"I know." Luke answered, wondering what he was getting at.

"Yeah, I guess it's kinda hard to miss." Bo went on in the same voice, wiping the sweat away from his face before it could drip into his eyes or anything, it didn't taste very good either.

"It is," Luke agreed. "But I'm guessing ya was just telling me in case I had missed it, so I would know, like. If I had missed it."

"Yeah, kinda like that." Bo shrugged. "Ya could've missed it ya know."

Luke shook his head. "No Bo, ain't no way I could've gone and missed it, not when I have ya to point it out to me."

"Was that a compliment?" Bo frowned.

"Ya decide."

* * *

"Luke, It's hot." Bo complained.

Luke looked over, and down on his nine year old cousin. Bo might be growing up, and was getting bigger, but he still was just a kid, and not a very big one at that.

"So, what do you expect me to do about it?" He asked a bit annoyed.

"Don't have to get angry." Bo defended himself.

"I ain't angry."

"Ya sound angry. Just cause' I was saying how it's hot." Bo insisted.

"Well, it's not like I can do anything about it, and I don't want to hear ya whining about it." Luke stated.

"I can do something about it." Bo beamed, suddenly there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as well.

"What?" Luke demanded. That was as much as he was able to say before Bo let out a great big cowboy Yeahaw, and jumped straight out into the creek. Landing with a big splash that just about soaked Luke as well.

Luke shook his head as Bo came back to the surface, he should have seen that one coming, with the way Bo had been looking at the water he should have seen it coming, and Bo was just about crazy enough to leap in with his clothes still on as well.

Sitting beside him, and wiping water from his face, Cooter grinned. "Ya know Luke, I don't know about ya, but I'm kinda thinking of joining him there, it ain't such a bad idea."

"Ya gonna jump in clothes and all?" Luke asked him.

"No," Cooter answered as he was pulling off his boots. "But I am gonna be jumping in."

* * *

"Luke, it's to hot, I can't sleep." Bo told his cousin. It was in the middle of the night, and he hadn't as much as slept a wink. It was sweltering hot, and he was lying stretched out on top of his bed, only wearing his under shorts, but it was still so hot he couldn't sleep.

The ten year old boy felt as if he was becoming drenched in sweat as well. Luke however didn't seem to think it was the slightest bothersome. For his only response to Bo's complaint was to snore softly.

Bo snorted and rolled over, but it didn't help at all. He rolled over to his stomach, and then back to his back, but nothing seemed to help the slightest. He had already been up to drink water several times, in fact, after a few times he had to get up for a completely different reason.

"Luke?" There was no chance of getting any sympathy from his cousin either, Luke was still sound asleep. Groaning quietly Bo figured it would just be his luck to get told off in the morning for being tired.

* * *

"Luke, It's too hot for this." Eleven year old Bo tugged at his older cousins sleeve, accidentally causing Luke to lose hold of the wrench he had been holding.

"Dang it Bo," he snapped. "I told ya to keep out of the way."

"I was keeping out of the way, but it's so hot here." Bo defended himself.

"Not far enough out of the way." Luke gave him an angry glare as he fished the wrench up from where he had dropped it. "Now shut up and keep good out of the way, got it?"

Bo stuffed his hands into his pockets and moved away from Luke, afraid that he would get even more angry.

Cooter looked up from where he had his hands buried in the engine on the other side. "Bo, look in the cabin, there's a cap there, keep the sun out of ya eyes." He had seen how the boy was trying to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun. "Think there is a soda there as well."

Bo lit up at the prospect of something to drink, even if it was a lukewarm soda. He ducked back out of the cab, wearing the cap and opening the soda. Cooter reached for the can to take a long draught. "Now, Luke don't get any if he don't behave." He grinned at Bo. "Should teach him to control his temper."

Bo giggled as Luke glared at them, but he did apologize so that he would get some of the soda.

* * *

"Luke, it's hot."

Luke considered ignoring the twelve year old kid that was also his cousin. It was just that Bo tended to be hard to ignore for any longer stretches of time. He had a way of getting very persisting when he wanted to. Bo wanting attention got attention. If not so when Luke lost his patience with him.

"Bo, if ya look up at the sky, what do ya see?" He asked.

"Can't really see anything, sun's so bright it's impossible to see anything else." Bo complained.

"Uhu, and ya know Bo, when the sun there is shining like that, it gets hot. And the more it shines, the hotter it gets." Luke informed him a bit scornfully.

"Don't have to get nasty about it." Bo said defensively.

"Don't have to point out the obvious." Luke retorted.

"But if I don't, ya might miss it." Bo ducked and decided it was best to flee while he still could.

* * *

"Luke, it's to hot to stay out here any longer." Bo stated.

Luke looked over at his thirteen year old cousin, and then at the girl he was making out with. He wanted to snuggle with the second, and not have to bother about the first.

"Be quiet Bo." He said even as he moved to kiss her, she sure was pretty, and more than willing to be kissed.

"But it's so dang hot." Bo objected, in truth, he was also becoming bored.

"Just a second." Luke excused himself with a deep kiss, then he moved over to Bo.

Since Bo still hadn't really hit a growth spurt he wasn't the biggest kid, and Luke easily lifted him, hefted him, and threw him a fair bit out into the pond. Bo shrieked as he sailed through the air, and landed with a loud splash, after impact his scream was more of a gurgling sound anyway.

He resurfaced coughing and spluttering.

"That should cool ya all off." Luke grinned as he regarded the sopping wet head of his cousin as he treaded water.

"No fair." Bo objected.

Luke turned back to the girl. "There, now where were we?" He asked as he leaned in to kiss her again.

* * *

"Luke, I'm hot."

The hoarse groan was really quiet, but Luke was wide awake instantly. Years in the Marines had taught him how to be a very light sleeper, and since he got back, just about every sound from his sick cousin had woken him up. The seventeen boy had tried his hardest not to be a bother, but a few times he had called on Luke in the night.

So now Luke had swung his feet over the side of his bed even before Bo's second groan. The poor kid, the flu had really done gone and knocked him out.

Luke was just glad he was back, or their uncle Jesse would have been hard pressed in caring for both Bo and the farm at the same time. As it was Luke took care of Bo, and Jesse of the farm.

"I'm so hot." Bo shifted restlessly on the bed and Luke touched his forehead. His fever had gone up again, which wasn't good, but only to be expected, it had happened a few times already.

"It's okay Bo, don't worry. I'm here." He assured his cousin.

"So, hot Luke. I'm to hot." Bo groaned as he twisted around again.

"I know." Luke nodded, all he was wearing was his pajama bottoms, and he was still sweating with the fever. "I'll take care of ya."

He grabbed the pitcher of cool water that stood on the small table and filled a glass. Several ice cubes in it kept it cold during the night. Then he sat down on the edge of the bed and helped Bo sit up a little so that he could drink. He had seemed better the day before when he even was hungry and ate some soup, but the flu was persistent. Doc Appleby had told them not to worry about it though. He had checked Bo over and said that as annoying as it were, it wasn't serious and that he should be better in no time. He also thought that Bo's anxiousness over Luke's homecoming had served to set it off.

Jesse who had seen how nervous Bo had been was inclined to think he might be right.

"Is that better?" Luke asked softly as Bo had drained the glass.

"A little, can I have more, please?" Bo looked up at Luke with fever hazy eyes and Luke smiled. "Of course ya can." He refilled the glass and helped him to drink it once more. Then he eased him down again. "Now ya sleep some, and get better, okay."

"'Kay." Bo nodded as sleep overcame him and he nodded off again.

The End.

Thank you all for reading, I'll do my very best to reply to all signed reviews, Elenhin


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